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Deez Nuts – Binge and Purgatory [Album Review]

Deez Nuts’ new record Binge/Purgatory is out April 7 – and I have to say, I am stoked on it. It doesn’t seem as concerned with “swagger” so much as confidence, and contains far less gimmick, but damn, it goes as hard as previous outings.

The back half of the record from track 8’s “Carried by Six” onwards picks up the pace considerately and most if not all of the tracks come out of the gate at CRACKING pace and don’t really let up. The vibe seems to be more punk influence in the back half of the record and the first half seems to be harder-edged, slower tempo (though never SLOW) tracks. Unsure if this was intentional, but it works. It really feels like the record is split into two feels/vibes/sets of influence.

The artwork on the cover tells quite the story, despite being a fairly simply composed static image. The Mandible bone of a skull featuring gold teeth, representing the death of someone who lived a fairly decadent life, surrounded by baggies for drugs, cigarettes, some with lipstick, some with none, indicating more than one person and likely to be a man and a woman. (As it turns out, before I started writing this paragraph I hadn’t read the official bio/press pack about this record and yes, turns out the art is VERY much on purpose and crafted – in fact, it’s an art piece concocted by JJ himself and delivered by artist Tyrrell Winston. The cover collage features found artifacts in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, where they did the majority of this album in the studio.) Turns out my reading of the meaning behind it is pretty much on point too – JJ saying himself – “The human jaw bone with gold grills encapsulates the idea of excess and demise.”

Overall, gotta say. I have liked Deez Nuts records before – the first two records were great but kinda gimmicky overall, but this is a band who have really come into their own. Confident, angry, purposeful and awesome. Seems not one piece of the puzzle has been left unconsidered here – and JJ and co really have put together something special.